Stillage produced by an ethanol production facility may be fractionated into various stillage fractions including a suspended fraction. The suspended fraction includes materials generally suspended, solubilized, and/or dissolved in water. Drying of the suspended fraction into a dried form would generally preserve the suspended fraction, and might allow for storage and/or distribution of the suspended fraction in dried form. The suspended fraction in dried form may have nutritional value and may have utility in various industrial processes. In various aspects, the suspended fraction may include proteins, oils, amino acids, and other materials that make drying of the suspended fraction difficult without oxidizing and/or denaturing at least portions of the suspended fraction.
Accordingly, a need exists for compositions of the suspended fraction of stillage in a dried form as well as apparatus and methods for drying the suspended fraction of stillage.